BT Fibre/Infinity - Guide to using your own router

[MiloBT]

I've successfully used my own router with BT Infinity for business and figured I'd post this to help anyone who might want to do the same.

The OpenReach VDSL modem that BT supply must be used and (at the moment) can not be replaced with an alternative.

However, the router that is connected to the modem can be.

Any 'cable' type router should work fine (i.e. the ones that are normally used with Virgin's Cable based connections).

In my case I'm using a Linksys/Cisco E3000.

All that needs to be done is firstly, before you're switched over from ADSL, you need to know your username & password.

The username is usually something like:

Bxxxxxx@hgxx.btclick.com

Obviously with all the x's as numbers.

Your password will be the one you selected when signing up.

Secondly, on the router you will be using, you need to set the connection type to PPPoE. Set the username value to the one above, and the password value to the password you selected.

That's it!

NOTES: 

Currently there is only one manufacturer who makes an integrated VDSL modem/router, but this isn't easily available (or reasonably priced), plus BT won't support it...so for those looking for an 'all in one' solution like you may have had for ADSL, you're out of luck for now.

[ThelmaCottage]

This is just what I've been looking for. We have a Zyxel USG 20 VPN device which I need to use. I persume this sohuld be configure in the same way ? Is there any settings on the BT modem that needs to be changed ? I persume the firewall/NAT type stuff is on the Hub they supply ?

Mark

[MHC]

There is nothing on the modem that needs to be changed and even if there was there is no way to access it - as far as I know, so far.

[ThelmaCottage]

Thanks that great , so I'll pop in the login details and configure the WAN side with our Static IP address. - Fingers crossed

[Psycorp]

Hi

I'm looking for some feedback on this. Did you get your replacement router working ok with your public IP?

Cheers

[ThelmaCottage]

We have gone down a slightly different route with this - We will be using  Vigor 2750 Series VDSL Router/Firewall, this will plug straight into the wall socket. According to Draytek support notes there is only minimal settings to be changes for use with BT Infinity -> Support Note

Will let you know how I get on - looking at several reviews this device is much faster than the BT set-up

Mark

[chrismcl]

In theory it will be faster, it is 1 less hop for the traffic to go over. Would be interesting to see the results compared against the equipment we supply.

Chris

[ThelmaCottage]

Chris

Will let you know - we went this route mainly because of the VPN feature.

Mark

[MHC]

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@chrismcl wrote:

In theory it will be faster, it is 1 less hop for the traffic to go over. Would be interesting to see the results compared against the equipment we supply.

Chris

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1 less hop - it might or might not be, depending on the way the unit is designed and buit.   But I would suggest the diffence will be miniscule and probably well under 1ms - a simple treceroute or ping test would not be enough to accurately measure and confirm.  A few thousand traces, with the extreme values removed and the remaining results averaged woudl be needed to give a meaningful result.

[LeeC22]

Is there any update on how well this substitute router works, because I am close to throwing the Fibre hub through the window. I have a Dell 1350 wifi laser printer that will not connect to the BT hub, yet if I set up my old Thomson 585 router, it connects to that in less than 5 seconds. If I ever do get the printer to connect, you can guarantee that the next time the BT router reboots, the problem starts all over again.

I really don't want to have to connect 2 routers, just to get a wifi printer working, when the BT hub should do the job without any issues. Perhaps if the hub was setup to perform the intended functions, rather than be an advertising portal for BT services, it might work better. It's no wonder people used to go to all the efforts to flash the old Home Hub, the standard software is absolutely abysmal quality.